Hoisting truck



J. HAMILTON HOISfIING TRUCK Dec. '25, @923. 11,478,432

File d Sept. 27. 1922 Patented Dec. 25, TQZES.

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HOISTING TRUCK.

Application filed September 27, 1922. Serial No. 590,838.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMns T'IAMILTON, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the city of Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hoisting Trucks, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. I v

This invention relates to improvements in hoisting-trucks and particularly to improvements in hoisting-trucks of the general type disclosed in United States Patent No. 1,176,684, issued March 21, 1916, in which the rack-actuating pinion operated by a handle-controlled bar is, by reason of the racks being provided with ringlike teeth, maintained in mesh with the rack throughout a wide range of horizontal swing or displacement of the truck-handle. An object of this invention is to provide a truck of the type just. mentioned which will be simple in construction, comparatively cheap in manufacture, and practicable, durable and eificient in operation and use. Other features of this invention will be brought out hereinafter, as the description of the truck in which the same is embodied progresses.

In the drawings illustrating the principle 1 of this invention and the best mode now known to me of applying that principle, Fig. 1 is a vertical section on the line 11, of Fig. 2, so much of the hoisting-truck being illustrated as is necessary for the purpose in hand; and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 1, the handle being shown in section.

The platform I; (sometimes called the lifting-platform) is mounted on the truckframe a in such a manner that it is capable of being swung up from and down towards the truck-frame a; and, for this purpose, each of the four corners of the platform 6 is connected with the truck-frame a by means of a link 0, a type of connection that is old in.

this art. Although the truck-frame a is not shown as provided with rear-wheels, it will be understood that the truck-frame a is so supported. The platform 6 carries, at its front end, a transverse-shaft d, to which is pivotally connected the upper end of the link 0, of which the lower end is pivotally joined to a side-bar a" of the truck-frame a. The structure so far described is old (see, for example, the Forbes United States Patent, No. 368,883, granted August 23, 1887 generically considered.

The truck-frame a is provided with a front cross-beam w to which are rigidly fastened the lower ends 6" of a pair of standards e, the upper ends of which ap proach each other and carry an annular seat or collar 7 in which is firmly fastened (as by means of the pin g) the upper end of a guide-post h. The standards 6 constitute a yoke in which the position of the guidepost it is fixed. On the guide-post it, there is mounted, free to slide up and down, a hollow, sleeve-like member 2' that is sometimes called a spool. The front face of this slidable sleeve 2' is formed with a rack 7' comprising a vertical series of teeth y" that are of the same ring-like type as are the teeth of the slidable sleeve shown and described in the Weusthofl' United States Patent No. 92,678, July 13, 1869; but the teeth 7" are mutilated and do not go around the sleeve 2' completely to form full circles or rings. The sleeve 2' may be connected with the front end of the lifting-platform b in any suitable way. In the particular embodiment illustrated in the drawings, the old form of link connection is shown, wherein a liftlink 70 is provided, the upper end 75 of the lift-link being pivotally connected to the rear face of the sleeve 2', while its lower end 70" is pivotally connected with the transverse shaft d that is carried by the front end of the platform I). The guide-post h is formed with vertical guide-grooves h, with the walls of which engage guide-ribs 2' formed upon and projecting inwardly from the wall of thecentrally-located passage of the toothed spool In the front cross-beam a" of the truck-frame a, there is formed an opening a, in which there is seated, free to oscillate about its vertical axis, a carrier m formed with a pair of upwardly-extending armsm that carry a pivot-pin m" upon which is fulcrumed a lift-lever n. The inner end of the latter is formed with a toothed segment a, the teeth a" of which lie in a vertical plane and are arranged to engage the teeth 5 of-the rack y', so that, when the lift-lever a is swung on'its fulcrum m", the slidable sleeve or spool 71 will be raised or lowered, and the platform 6 will be lifted or allowed to drop back upon the truck-frame a. The

outer end of the lift-lever a is formed with a notch n" with the wall of which a lug 0 formed on the handle-bar 0 is adapted and designed to engage, so that the handle-bar 0 may, by such engagement, be interlocked with the lift-lever n. The inner end of the handle-bar 0 is bifurcated and the forks or branches 0 are formed with slots 0*, through which and a hole in the'outer end of the lift-lever a there passes a pivot-pin p. The slots 0 permit the handle-bar 0 to be pulled outwardly so as to disengage it fromthe lift-lever n. The lower end m of the carrier m projects below the cross-beam a and enters a recess Q formed in the top of a caster-wheel mounting (I that carries a shaft 9 upon the ends of which are mounted the wheels 1". the caster-wheel mounting Q to the lower end m of the lift-lever carrier 'm. -Pivotally mounted on the top of the cross-beam a of the truck-frame a, there is a foot-operated latch s the inner or rear end of which is formed with a tooths adapted and de signed to engage a tooth a formed upon the platform 6, when the same has been raised, whereby the platform may be locked in its lifted position. The latch or dog 8 may be tripped by the operators placing his foot on the pedal 8*, whereby the teeth s, s, are disengaged from each other and the platform 5 is allowed tosink back' upon the truck-frame a. The lift-lever mounting m is formed, in its top, with a socket or recess h into which projects the lower end of the guide-post h, whereby solidity of structure is ensured.

When the handle-bar 0 is interlocked (see through the lift-link k, transmitted to the platform Z), which will now swing upwardly from the truck-frame a and will, at the end of its upward travel, be locked in its raised position by the engagement of the tooth s of the locking dog 8 with the tooth .9" formed on the front end of the platform I). The raised position of the latter and its actuating mechanism is indicated by dotted lines "in Fig. I. The platform]; remains, in its raised position, connected with the truckframe a through the intermediary of the links 0, of which there are four but only one of which is shown, as has been hereinbefore explained. Giving to the teeth of a rack an annular or ringlike shape is a common eXpedient old in the mechanic arts and is adopt- A pin 9* serves to fasten ed when it is desired to maintain the rack and its actuating pinion in mesh eachwith the other, despite the relative displacement of either of these interengaging members in a plane at right-angles to the path of travel of the rack, when the pinion is turned to drive the rack. In the present instance, the provision of the rack'j withringlike teeth y" permits the segment n to remain in mesh with the rack j, as the handle-bar 0 is swung from side to side of the truck-frame a, and the truck is steered in pulling it from place to place, whereby the slidable sleeve 2' may be raised and the platform 6 may be elevated irrespective of the fact that the handle-bar 0 may not occupy a particular position (e. g., pointing straight to the front of the truck).

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have herein described and shown the embodiment of this invention that is preferred by me; but I desire it to be distinctly understood'tha't I fully realize that changes may be made in the structure herein and hereby disclosed, and that I intend to include within the scope of the claims that follow hereinafter all modifications of the preferred form of this invention that donot depart substantially from the spirit thereof.

I claim:

1. A hoisting-truck including a truckframe; a platform arranged thereabove for movement therefrom and .theretowards; a stationary guide-post fixed in position upon the truck-frame; a sleeve connected with the platform and slidable up and down along the guide-post and provided with a rack having ringlike teeth arranged one above the other; a toothed member which engages the rack and by which the sleeve is caused to travel along the stationary guide-post; and a carrier in whichv the toothed member is mounted and which is rotatably mounted in the truck-frame and which carries the toothed member in its movement from side to side thereof while the teeth of the toothed member remain in operative mesh with the ringlike teeth of the rack. V

' 2. A hoisting-truck including a truckframe; a platform arranged thereabove for movement therefrom and theretowar'ds'; a stationary guide-post fixed in position upon the truck-frame; a sleeve connectedwith the platform and slidable up and down along the guide-post and provided with a rack having ringlike teeth arranged one above the other; a toothed member which'engages the rack and by which the sleeve is caused to travel along the stationary guide-post; a carrier in which the toothed member is mounted and which is rotatably mounted in the truck-frame and which carries the toothed member in its movement from side to side thereof while the teeth of the toothed member remain in operative mesh with the reveasz ringlike teeth of the rack; and a steeringwheel the direction of travel of which is controlled by the position of the carrier.

3. A hoisting-truck including a truck frame; a platform arranged thereabove for movement therefrom and theretowards; a stationary guide-post fixed in position upon the truck-frame; a sleeve connected with the platform and slidable up and down along the guide-post and provided with a rack having ringlike teeth arranged one above the other; a toothed member which engages the rack and by which the sleeve is caused to travel along the stationary guide- 15 post; a carrier in which the toothed member kit is mounted and which is rotatably mounted in the truck-frame and which carries the toothed member in its movement from side to side thereof while the teeth of the toothed member remain in operative mesh with the ringlike teeth of the rack, the carrier being formed in its top with a recess into which the lower end of the guide-post projects; and a steering-wheel the direction of travel of which is controlled by the position of the carrier.

Signed at the city of Washington, in the District of Columbia, this twenty-sixth day of September, 1922.

JAMES HAMILTON 

